Green Tour Challenge

Winners

The DC Public Library has undergone a transformation, renovating and building 14 libraries in four years.
Most D.C. residents notice the striking architecture of our new buildings and the restored historical charm of our renovated locations. But few realize that all these building features design elements that support our environment and fight against climate change.
Join us on a virtual tour of some of our green libraries -- or use this as a guide to do your own citywide tour -- and discover the green secrets that each location holds!

The DC Public Library has undergone a transformation, renovating and building 14 libraries in four years.
Most D.C. residents notice the striking architecture of our new buildings and the restored historical charm of our renovated locations. But few realize that all these buildings feature design elements that support our environment and fight against climate change.
Join us on a virtual tour of some of our green libraries -- or use this as a guide to do your own citywide tour -- and discover the green secrets that each location holds!

UPDATE: The entries are now being reviewed by our expert judging panel. Stay tuned!

All across the world, communities are finding ways to lower their greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change. This is your chance to create either a tour or a scavenger hunt that highlights the successes and opportunities in your community.

Chart a path, create a series of riddles or just go for a stroll – we are looking for all types of tours or scavenger hunts. You may want to highlight all of the cooling stations in your neighborhood that may be needed if you area has an increasing number of heat waves. Or you may have people answers clues to guess what is so “green” about different buildings on your block. We can’t wait to see what ideas you have.

Crowd sourced winners will be selected for “Best of DC Tours” and “Overall Best Tour.” We will announce the winners on our website and create either a SCVNGR trek (for hunts) or Google Map (for tours) based on the entries.

Instructions:

1. You may create either a "virtual" tour/scavenger hunt of photos from places around the world or a "real" tour/scavenger hunt of locations that are near each other. The photos can be from anywhere on the web, but they must be publically accessible (or we can't see them!). You are welcome to use photos from our recent Climate Change Photos Challenge Gallery.
2. Pick between 2 and 8 photos to feature on your tour/hunt. (If you are creating a "real" tour/hunt then the locations should be near each other. Please provide location information* for each photo.)
3. Write a description (for a tour) or a question and answer (for a hunt) for each photo. We are looking for clever but scientifically accurate information here.

How do you tell us about you amazing tour/hunt?
You have several options. So pick the one that is easiest for you!

Fill out this Google Docs Form to alert us of your submission. You will be asked for your name and e-mail address, and description of your tour/hunt. For each location you will need to provide a link to each photo, a description or question and answer and location information.

OR

Create a gallery or collection of photos on a photosharing site such as Flickr or Instagram. Submit a link to the gallery below. (You can see a sample gallery created by the museum staff here.)

OR

Pull together the photos and description some other public site such as a blog. Let us know where it is located by submitting your link on the next page.

If you have a suggestion of another approach, have questions, or need technical assistance, please leave a comment below.

*Location information – We are looking for the precise latitude and longitude of the point at which the photo was taken.

**How do you get latitude and longitude information? Some smart phones and digital cameras record this information. If this is not the case with your camera, then you can go to Google maps and zoom in on the location at which you took the photo. Right-click (Mac users ctrl-click) on the selected location and choose "What's Here". Latitude and longitude will be displayed in the search box. For example the Marian Koshland Science Museum is located at 525 E Street, NW, Washington, DC. According to Google maps our coordinates are 38.89624,-77.019735 (lat, long).

The top entries will be available for crowdsourced voting for the “Best of DC Tours” and “Overall Best Tour.”

The Judges:

Dan Barry is the Senior Climate Policy Analyst with the District Department of the Environment. Dan’s focus at DDOE is marshalling the District’s Climate Action Plan, as well as in crafting a plan for the ongoing implementation of the CAP and the monitoring of the results of the plan. Dan has been with DDOE for three years, and prior to that worked in a variety of environmental advocacy positions in organizations based in DC and his home state of Vermont.

David Leipziger, Project Manager, oversees IMT's work on the District of Columbia's Sustainable Energy Utility and manages the energy rating website BuildingRating.org. He also manages research projects related to building energy rating and disclosure around the world. David graduated from Brown University with dual degrees in Urban and Architectural Studies. Prior to joining IMT, David worked as a drafter at the design firm Adamstein & Demetriou and as a writer at the Urban Land Institute focused on sustainable urban development projects. Thereafter, he worked as a freelance urban policy researcher in Curitiba, Brazil. David hails from our nation's smallest county, in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Bob Fri has been active for more than 35 years as both an administrator and analyst of energy and environmental policy. As the first deputy administrator of both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Research and Development Administration, he was instrumental in organizing the federal government’s programs in environmental regulation and energy technology. He served as president of Resources for the Future and of the National Museum of Natural History during major transitions in the role of these institutions.